THE VEGANS WERE CURIOUS

Episode #468 · Written by Winston Marks · Narrated by Scott Miller

A curious Sirian pauses on his journey to investigate strange, nuclear-playing creatures on a small blue planet. What begins as a casual study becomes a hilarious, dangerous, and eye-opening lesson in humanity.

In “The Vegans Were Curious” by Winston Marks, distant alien observers watch Earth with equal parts fascination and disbelief. When a proud Sirian decides to investigate personally, he expects a brief scientific visit. Instead, he finds himself trapped in human courts, human trouble, and human emotions — and discovers that curiosity can be hazardous.

This isn’t just a first-contact story. It’s a witty, sharp look at how strange our world appears from the outside. Nuclear experiments, beach culture, violence, law, romance, confusion — everything becomes comedy, danger, and insight all at once. Marks keeps the pacing tight and the situations wonderfully surprising, without ever giving away where the story is heading.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Winston Marks was one of the imaginative voices of mid-century science fiction. His stories appeared in many leading magazines of the 1950s, where he earned a reputation for humor, irony, and clever twists. He loved exploring human nature through outsiders who couldn’t quite understand us — and that perspective gives his work enduring charm.

If you enjoy vintage science fiction with smart humor, curious aliens, and thoughtful commentary on humanity, this story is a treat. It’s classic sci-fi fun with brains — and a wonderfully entertaining ride.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to this witty classic sci-fi short story, The Vegans Were Curious by Winston Marks, — where curious aliens study humanity and discover more than they expected in this vintage science fiction adventure.

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ABOUT THE LOST SCI-FI PODCAST

The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is the most listened-to vintage science fiction podcast in the world. Ranked the #1 Science Fiction Podcast in 43 countries and heard in more than 190 countries, the show has surpassed 4.2 million listens.

Each episode features carefully selected stories from the Golden Age of science fiction, professionally narrated. Timeless storytelling the way it was meant to be heard.

What listeners are saying:

★★★★★ “Brilliant! Great narrator and choice of stories. Very happy with discovering this podcast! It is obvious that the narrator loves sci-fi and the introduction to each story makes it an even better experience. I have been a huge sci-fi fan since childhood and still thanks to this podcast learn new interesting facts about the authors as well as discovering authors I haven’t read before. Thank you for creating this wonderful podcast! I hope more sci-fi fans learn about it as it is brilliant!”
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— Fred Sieber

Vintage science fiction. Professionally narrated. Carefully curated.

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